RICHMOND — In a race that received national attention thanks to big money from Chevron, a slate of candidates on shoestring budgets swept their oil titan-backed opponents on Tuesday night in a resounding political defeat for the company and its campaign tactics.

Longtime local politician Tom Butt defeated his City Council colleague Nat Bates, garnering 51 percent of the vote to Bates’ 35 percent.

As the votes poured in around midnight, Butt’s campaign party at The Baltic, a restaurant in Point Richmond, was in high spirits.

“It was a big win for the progressives,” said Richard Poe, a local developer who celebrated at Butt’s campaign party with about 60 others. “I expected Tom to win for mayor, but what happened with the council seats surprised everybody I think.”

With every member of the council running for either re-election or a different seat, the outcome on Tuesday night tilts the balance of power on a council that has been deeply divided over a number of issues.

A seat opened up by Butt’s promotion to mayor means the progressive majority could be able to strengthen its hold by appointing another member early next year.

As of Oct. 1, Chevron had sunk roughly $3 million into a trio of political action committees, contributing about $72 per registered voter in support of and opposition to various candidates — a sign of the company’s strained relationship with a city that sued it after a major refinery fire in August 2012.

In the full-term council races, incumbents Beckles and Rogers each sought re-election. Boozé, whose term was also up, decided to jump into the two-year seat race, leaving a full-term seat in play.

Joining Beckles and Rogers in the competition for a full-term seat was a candidate field composed of Richmond activists and newcomers.

McLaughlin ran on a slate with Beckles and Martinez, a planning commissioner and former council candidate. The Chevron-funded political action committee Moving Forward spent heavily to defeat the three.

Candidates supported by Moving Forward were Donna Powers, a former Richmond councilwoman; Charles Ramsey, a longtime West Contra Costa school board trustee; and Al Martinez, a retired Richmond postmaster — along with Bates for mayor.

Dameion King, a development specialist and former commissioner with the Richmond Housing Authority, and the Rev. Henry Washington, a community activist and lifelong Richmond resident, also sought a full-term seat on the council.

Vying for the short-term City Council seat were Myrick, Boozé and first-timer Anthony Creer.

Boozé saw his fortunes dim before the first results came in. “I’m probably going to lose this one,” Boozé said before the polls closed.

Myrick was up for re-election because he was appointed to office in 2013 after the winner of the 2012 election, the late Gary Bell, fell ill and could not take the seat.

Measure U, a half-cent sales tax for roads and public safety programs, also passed, getting 54 percent of the vote.

The biggest issues during the election were the city’s budget deficit, the future of a controversial proposal to help underwater homeowners out of their mortgages by using the city’s power of eminent domain and the infamously unruly City Council meetings.

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